pynge of Gods commaundementes Here is so wayghtye a sentence as myghte wele haue commen from them whych were woÌ„te to synge that Psalme at their popish houres without deuocyoÌ„ it cometh fourth so freshly and with suche a courage of slouthe But it is good portasse doctryne As ye loue the scriptures so haÌ„dle ye theÌ„ yrkesoÌ„ly fayntly vnsauerly barreÌ„ly But as feble as cold as ye iudge them yet are they so full of lyfe and strengthe of Gods sprete that all the powers of helle are not able to preuayle agaynst theÌ„ And they wyl serue the scripture vowes at nede thoughe they serue not your popysh vowes They declare in Dauid besydes your feble affeccyon a faythe incomparable and an whole geuynge vp of hym selfe to God from all worldly cares A doctryne from aboue a demonstracyon of the ryghteouse a prophecye full of pythe a puryte of Gods wurde a consolacyoÌ„ in Godlynesse an hate of superstycyon a ryghte handelyng of y e scriptures a ful obseruacioÌ„ of Gods commaundementes an obedyence to Gods byddynges a symplycite of sowle a mekenesse of sprete a conscyence wythout cancre a strong loue towardes vertu a study for ryghteousnesse a despre of knowlege heauenly a feruent zele in the truth an alacryte of sprete an inwarde peace a ioye in the holy Ghost a dylygence effectuall a coÌ„stauncy in perfyghtnesse a mygthy perseuerauÌ„ce a gyft of Gods sprete a syncere relygyoÌ„ a detestacioÌ„ of ydolatry gods true wor shypp a worke whych most hyghly pleaseth God and dyspleaseth the Deuyll and an whole summe of Christianite Censura ☞ Uowes in the .xxx. chaptre of Numeri are giftes with prayses vnto God or offeringes with thankes geuyng And they pertayn to a feast of the Iewes called Clangor or the day of trompett blow ynge whyche feaste came but ones in the yeare and contynued but .vii. dayes after And therfore those vowes were not perpetuall Obiectio ¶ In thys senteÌ„ce ye seme to change the sygnyfycacyon of vowes and also to restrayne theÌ„ to one feast called Clangor For vows ye say are gyftes with prayses vnto god or offerynge with thankes geuynge And before ye sayd generally that a vowe in the olde law was a pro myse etc. How can it be both the promyse of a thynge and the thynge promysed And by the chaptre it selfe it maye seme to be taken for the promysyng of a thynge to God and not for a gyfte or offerynge promysed For the laste sentence sayth thus Si vouerit et iuramento se constrinrerit vt per ieiunium vel ceterarum rerum abstinentiam affligat animam suam etâ—â— By whyche wordes it apereth that a vowe is not taken for a gyfte or an offeryng but for the promyse of some lawfull thynge as fastynge abstynence or suche lyke Whyche promyse the wyfe or daughter is not bounde to perfourme if the husbande or the father by and by gayne â—aye Than yf a vowe here be not taken for a gyfte or an offerynge but for a promyse of anye lawfull thynge whyche promyse in some persones at some tymes in this chaptre is declared not to bynde It foloweth that those vowes do not pertayne only to the feast of truÌ„ pettes but to euery tyme and age whan so euer any suche vowe shall be lawfully made Responsio Where as I haue in that sentence changed the sygnyfycacyon of a vowe ye coulde not therwyth be moche offended wer ye not of a frowarde croked and quarellynge nature For y e best of your doctours in expownynge the scriptures doth so so wele as I are dryuen therunto by the dyuersyte of the places and circuÌ„staunce of sentences For restraynt of those vowes in the. xxx chaptre of Numeri to a feast called Clangor I shal answere yow here after I spake it in dede that a vowe is a promyse and the scriptures afore alleged out of Gen. xxviii Psal. lxv hath born me good witnes y t I spake y e truth in it whyche to rehearce agayne were but superfluouse But where as ye saye I spake it generallye for all vowes of the Byble ye shall take it to ye agayne as a lye of youre own forging For I neuer meane al vowes whan I speake of a vowe no more than I meane all men whan I say a man And as I called it there a promyse so call I it here a gyfte a prayse an offerynge and a thankes gyuynge to God and in all these wyll the scriptures honestly beare with me It is wrytten Leuit. xxvii Homo qui eximium aliquod votum nuncupauerit iuxta estimationem dabit A man that wyll geue a syngular vowe to the Lorde shall gyue it accordynge to the value or wayght Lo sir here is votum a gyfte requyrynge value or waight WhaÌ„ Iacob vowed a vow to God Genes xxviii in the daye of paymente that vowe was an offerynge of the tythes of all that he had geuen hym Whaâ— Dauid entered into the howse of the Lorde Psal. ixv the vowes that he payed were fatt brente sa cryfyces with the smoke of rammes and offerynges of bullockes and gotes Uota pinguium vestrorum non respiciam sayeth God Amos. v. I wyll not ones loke vpon your fatte offerynges Moreouer it is wrytten Psalm lxiiii Te decet hymnus Deus in Syon et tibi reddetur votum in Hierusalem exaudi orationem meaÌ„ etc. It besemeth the Lorde God to haue prayse in Syon a vowe shall be perfourmed to the in Hierusalem heare thou my prayer Lo here is a vowe called a prayse a prayer and a thankes geuynge In the. lv Psalme are vowes named laudationes that is to saye prayses or commendacyons And where as Salomon sayeth Prouerbio xv Uota iustorum placabilia all good exposytours calleth vota there prayers An hundred lyke testimonies are in the scriptures of the olde lawe Now lete vs returne to the. xxx chaptre of Numeri There is it wrytten Si quis virorum votum domino vouerit If any man vowe to the Lorde etc. I am sure y t to vowe a vowe is not to vowe the wurdes al ready spoken but the thyng promysed in that vow ynge It foloweth after in the texte Si congnouerit pater votum quod policita est If the father shall knowe the vowe that hys daughter hath promysed et cet Thys vowe was not the promyse of a promyse for than had it bene lyke the vowe that Dauy the Walshe man made vpon the sea whan he was in daunger of drownyng to offre a candell as muche as the shyppe maste whan he come ones to lande whyche ended in the promyse and wente no farther But it was the thynge promysed whyche is in some places of the scrypture a gyfte wyth prayses to God some where an offeryng with thaÌ„kes geuing as I haue proued here afore Ye axe me thys question how a vowe caÌ„ be both y e promyse of a thynge and the thynge
professyon I saye not naye but that godly lyuynge is a frute therof ye are not able to proue vnlesse ye set God for nothynge In Christes obedyence is it not For he obeyeth not Christ that voweth in presthode monkery but he obeyth pope Helhounde and hys successours Ye saye it is a waye to the perfeccion of the Gospell O blasphemouse Antichrist herin hast thou shew â—â— thy full imperfeccion Can mennis ydell inuencious adde any perfeccion to the Gospell How feble makest thu Christ here and how vnperfyght makest his Gospell that woldest haue vncommanÌ„ded vowes which haue brought fourth innumerable sodomytes to adde perfeccion to the Gospell The Gospell is lytle beholden eyther to the or yet to thy maynteners God ones amende yow or â—â—s take ye from thys lyfe Ye saye it is a perfight ymitacioÌ„ of Christ. what a shamelesse lye is thys and what a bolde bragge to bolster out fylthynesse It is no ymitacioÌ„ of Christ for he neuer made vowe neither proponed he any doctryne of vowes makynge moche lesse than any perfyght ymytacion of Christ. Rather is it a defeccion from Christ and the same that Paule speaketh of ii Thes. ii for none were euer so obstynate agaynst hys doctrine as they whych professed those vowes Ye coÌ„clude that your vowe is the Angelycall lyfe in places where they nether marry nor be gyuen in marryage but are as Angels of God The head place where your greate vowers in Cardynall hattes myters hald crownes and cowles of all kindes marry not is the myghty moÌ„strouse Sinagoge oâ— Rome The meaner places are your minsters monasteryes coueÌ„tes colleges and personages of other nacions wher as also ye maye not for your vowes sake be gyueÌ„ fourth in marryage If ye say that these leade an Angels life by their vowes we are able to condempne your saynges by the dayly exaÌ„ples of their buggeryes and other beastly occupienges which we know besydes that we haue of the scriptures Roma i. et Apo. xi whych can not lye The place ye bring in here Neque nubent Mat. xxii ye clerely wrast froÌ„ all true godly meaning For it is not spokeÌ„ of theÌ„ whych dwell here in thys mortall corruptible lyfe though your Hierome so vnaptly vseth it but of theÌ„ y t shall apere with immortalyte in y t lattre resurreccion In y t resurreccioÌ„ shall they neyther marry nor be geueÌ„ in marriage as here vpoÌ„ earth but they shall be in heaueÌ„ as the Angels of God wher no such offyces of marriage or maydenhede shall be required If ye wyll nedes haue your vowers here like Angels they shall be like that Angel of darkenesse which in all deceyt possyble seke whoÌ„ he may deuour i. Pet. v. or els lyke those iiii cruell Angels of Gods permissyoÌ„ whych stoppeth y â— iiii wyndes or preachinges of hys eternall testament Apo. vii My sayenge ye say lacketh profe What sayenge is that I pray ye repete it Marry that the vowe of popysh chastyte is a profession to filthinesse vnspeakable in the obedience of Antichrist and the deâ—yll Why mayster chaplayne is thys the vowe that ye haue here maynteyned Is it thys y t ye call a vowe of Godly chastyte a professyon of good lyfe an obedyence of Christ a perfeccioÌ„ of y t Gospell an ymitacion of Christ an Angelycall state out of marryage I hearde neuer a more traitour make vtterauÌ„ce Yow that make so muche of this vowe of a popish chastyte ye make sumwhat wher ye dare for y t vowe of popish obedieÌ„ce which is y t greatter of both If my sayenges lacke profe as I thynke they do not in this Apology They shall lacke no profe in the. ii lattre partes of my votaries which are comming forward as spedyly as may be Your saing ye say y t a popish vowe is no vngodly professyon to Antichrist in y t deuyls obedience is proued by S. Augustyne in the thirde chapter of his boke de fide ad PetruÌ„ diaconuÌ„ But ye had nede first of all to proue that boke S. Augustynes For Erasmus hath already denyed it for the coursenesse of the phrase and vnpurenesse of the doctryne and also for that he maketh therof no mencyon â—â— hys wurthye worke of retractacyons wyth dyuerse other cawses The longe laryne allegacion of this vnknowen doctour is thus to be Englyshed Furthermore sayth he who so euer hath gelded hymselfe for the kyngdome of heauen and hath vowed chastyte in hys hart not onely if he be spotted wyth the deadly cryme of forâ—ycacion but also if either the man attempte to take a wyfe or the womaÌ„ a husbande after the Apostles opynyon he shall haue dampnacion bycause he hath broken hys fyrst fayth As it is therfor the maÌ„nis dewty after the Apostles meaning to gyue vnto hys wyfe due beneuolence lyke wyse the wyfe to the man for he that taketh a wyfe synneth not neither yet sinneth y e maide which marrieth an husbaÌ„de so lyke wyse after the sayenge of the same Apostle he that hath surely fyxed in hys harte hauynge no nede but hauynge power ouer hys owne wyll and hath so vowed chaltyte to God he ought wyth all en deuour of mynde to the ende of hys lyfe to kepe it least he haue dampnacion if he breake hys fyrst fayth Lyke wyse the married men the married women if tehy by theyr both coÌ„sfntes do vowe vnto God a perpetuall chastyte be they sure they are bounde to fulfill that vowe and not from theus fourth to haue any carnall copulaciou whych was lawfull vnto theÌ„ afore but to kepe that chastite to God whych they vowed Notwythstandynge that all thys matter hath bene answered afore yet fynde I sumwhat herein to be spokeÌ„ None authoryte can S. Augustynes name adde to this doctryne bycause he is not the authour of that boke The authour of it is such a one as S. Paule speaketh of Roma i. whych withholding the truth of God in vnryghteousnesse hath turned hys veryte into a lye Many wycked errours do I fynde in thys doctrine One is where as he calleth geldynge or makynge chast for the kyngdome of heauen a voweynge of the single lyfe whych Christ neuer ment Math. xix For Christ spake it of them whych sought the sowle helth of hys people by the grace of the Gospell and not of them which pryuately thought to wynne heauen to themselues alone by theyr folysh vowes These sequestred themselues from al carnall and worldly affeccions not by vowes but by the mere gyft of God Not to wynne heauen to theÌ„ selues but to call other vnto it by preachynge the doctryne of saluacion For heauen is not gotteÌ„ by vowes but by fearynge beleuynge and faythfull folowynge of the Gospell An other errour that vowes ought so to separate man and wife as they may neuer mete agayne Thys vsurpacion is not tollerable that mannys ydell inuencion
quidaÌ„ nobilis in some churches and Ego sum Pastor bonus in the other churches giuen it to Thomas Beâ—ket the trayter both at mattens and masse vpon hys ydolatrouse dayes Homo quidaÌ„ peregre to your Romysh Apostle Augustyne to Anselme Cutbert Chadde Swithune Dunstane Erkenwalde Oswald Osmunde Edmunde and a greate sorte moo Beati pauperes to dead mens bones and relliques Euntes in muÌ„dum to gadders pylgrymes and ydoll sekers Amen dico vobis ye appoynted for battel Petite et dabitur for sycke beastes Factum est in vna dierum for fayre wether Nolite soliciti esse for rayne Discumbente Iesu for mourners Surgens Iesus de synagoga for pestileÌ„ce Dixit SimoÌ„ Petrus for S. Antonyes euill bestowing Dixit Martha ad Iesum for all christeÌ„ sowles Thys was a great study of yow a clerkely distributing of y â— scriptures suÌ„tyme Ye caÌ„ not thinke my scriptures welbestowed bicause they are not applyed to that vse and ende Ye feare least this truth here expressed should subuert an other truth But ye nede not so to do â–ª for it is not y e nature of a truth to subuert or destroy a truth but rather to ratify mainteyne and vphold a truth But paraueÌ„ture it is some truth of your owne that ye meane and than is it a very falsehede For yow are they that cal euill good and good euyll makyng darkenesse lyght lyght darkenesse Esay v. Your commen custome hath bene euermore S. Paule saith to wythholde Gods veryte in vnrighteousnesse and to turne hys truth to a lye Roma i. Thys truth of yours is an exhortacion to a wyuelesse lyfe or a professynge of vyrgynyte Thys woorde exhortacion hath a fayre shewe virginite semeth a bewtyful thynge Undre thys pretensed coulour or fayre face of the serpent your ye wyll hyde all the crafty persuasions of your religiouse sodomites prestes moÌ„kes and fryres which hath compassed sea and lande to make proselytes both by confessioÌ„ and other wayes And in the ende ye wold haue them taken for vertuouse counsels godly professions But doubtlesse ye come to late Ye wolde that neyther this nor yet y â— blamyng or rebuking of meÌ„ that breake theyr vnlawfull stynkynge popish vowes shuld be iudged any forbydding of lawful marryage or takeÌ„ for a doctrine of deuyls But it shall be so holdeÌ„ axe yow no leaue so longe as y â— tree is knowne by hys frute Ye wyll haue the braggynges and boastynges of a fayned and false chastyte which is none other than a fylthynesse vnspeakable to be holden as a pure commeÌ„dacioÌ„ of y â— true chastyte But it wyll not be graunted yow That detestable professyon of a lyfe so enormiouse shall be a prohybycion of Godly marryage and a doctrine of deuils in hipocrisy though ye shew a thousaÌ„d colours to y â— contrary What deuyll of hel hath inspired yow so clerely to separate christen marryage from chastite as it had no porcyon therwyth What wyll ye make of lawfull marryage ye synnefull Sodomytes and vtter enemyes of God that ye thus cruellye seclude it from all kyndes of chaste honestie Do ye iudge it a whore dome an vnclennesse a beastlynesse or what do ye recken of it yow that so malyciously thus handle it Thys dare I be bolde to affyrme and wyl stand in the opynion to the very death that all kyndes of continency of clennesse and of chastyte in the olde testament from the begynning of Genesis to the lattre ende of the Machabees hauyng the blessyng of God pertayneth to marriage There is no such vngodly separacion of virginite from marriage but virgines were reckened ther most fyt for that honest comely godly estate Uirgynite without frute is ther deplored sorowed lamented and bewayled as in the daughter of Iephte Iudi. xi Wher as marryage is called a chaste generacion wyth vertue her memory being immortal afore God and man Sapi. iiii Uirginyte wythout frute deserued no prayse neyther in the lawe of nature nor yet in the law of Moyses but as a thynge not regarded dwelt vndre contempte obprobry and rebuke without benediccioÌ„ as apered in An na i. Reg. i. and in Helisabeth â–ª Luc. i. WhaÌ„ vowes were of most value and of Gods allowaunce they coulde not better virgynytie how can they than now better it beyng of lesse value yea wurkes of our own innention and not of Gods commaundement The blessynge continued in succession of Mariage from age to age and from generation to generation tyll the promysed seade was come whyche was Iesus Christ. Though he in the newe testament beatyfyed virgynyte as he also by many clere argumentes dyd marryage geuyng ther vnto the grace of prophecy as apered in the. iiii daughters of Philip the Euangelist Acto xxi Yet ded he not licence yow to vowe it to bragge of it to huylde youre presthode vpon it to make it your bawde your cloke and your ydol of vnclennesse to colour your sodometry wyth it nor yet to contempne lawful marryage for it I coulde wel commende vyrginite many wayes but not after your handelynge As it is Gods fre gyfte I can praise it but not as it is vnder band of your vowes for I knowe the frutes to be fylthy Ye call it the hyghar gyfte and marryage the lowar gyfte therby eralting your shauelinges aboue the layte This is a practyse of your olde scolemaysters the Pharisees whych preferred theyr ydell tradycyons to Gods holy commaundementes Math. xv Bycause that vowed chastyte commeth from Rome whych is beyonde the Alpes wyth oylynges and wyth shauynges therfore is it the hyghar gyfte for none other vertues hath it But if ye waye it by the styâ—chyng frutes ye shal fynde it the lowar gyft and the gyuer out therof a very meane gentilman euen he that seketh whome he maye denouee i. Pet. v. Moch boast is made of virginite and yet they which bragge most of it knoweth least of all what it is Uyrgynite leadeth not towardes heauen vnlesse it be coupled with y e wysdome of god For we reade in the Gospel that the. v. folyshe vyrgyns were put clerely backe for not hauynge oyle and lyght in theyr laÌ„pes Math. xxv Thys is an euydent example that vyrginite is nothynge wythout other Godly prouisyons No better is that vyrginyte whych serueth it selfe alone than is the talent hyd vnder the grouÌ„d Mat. xxv I denye not but it is an easy pleasaâ—t free and commodiouse estate but without other vertues it is of smal value It is like a deade body whych hath no lyfe Where S. Paule layeth fourth the frutes of the sprete Galathyanes â–ª v. whych all are wel allowed in marryage he maketh no mencion of vyrgynyte Thoughe Mary Christes mother be named a vyrgyne in y e gospell â–ª yet is she muche more commended there for her faythe than for virgynyte Helisabeth full of the holy Ghost proclamed